2003 Zaragoza municipal election

2003 Zaragoza municipal election
25 May 2003
All 31 seats in the City Council of Zaragoza
16 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered515,232 Increase 0.9%
Turnout341,039 (66.2%)
Increase 7.7 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Juan Alberto Belloch José Atarés Antonio Gaspar
Party PSOE PP CHA
Leader since 27 June 1998 4 April 2000 1995
Last election 10 seats, 29.8% 15 seats, 42.3% 4 seats, 13.6%
Seats won 12 11 6
Seat change Increase 2 Decrease 4 Increase 2
Popular vote 114,952 110,747 62,211
Percentage 33.9% 32.7% 18.3%
Swing Increase 4.1 pp Decrease 9.6 pp Increase 4.7 pp
  Fourth party
 
Leader Manuel Lorenzo Blasco
Party PAR
Leader since 22 October 2002
Last election 2 seats, 7.7%
Seats won 2
Seat change Steady 0
Popular vote 23,690
Percentage 7.0%
Swing Decrease 0.7 pp
Mayor before election

José Atarés
PP

 Mayor after election

Juan Alberto Belloch
PSOE

A municipal election was held in Zaragoza on 25 May 2003 to elect the 7th City Council of the municipality. All 33 seats in the City Council were up for election. It was held concurrently with regional elections in thirteen autonomous communities and local elections all across Spain.

Overview

Under the 1978 Constitution, the governance of municipalities in Spain—part of the country's local government system—was centered on the figure of city councils (Spanish: ayuntamientos), local corporations with independent legal personality composed of a mayor, a government council and an elected legislative assembly.[1] The mayor was indirectly elected by the local assembly, requiring an absolute majority; otherwise, the candidate from the most-voted party automatically became mayor (ties were resolved by drawing lots).[2] In the case of Zaragoza, the top-tier administrative and governing body was the City Council of Zaragoza.

Date

The term of local assemblies in Spain expired four years after the date of their previous election, with election day being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The election decree was required to be issued no later than 54 days before the scheduled election date and published on the following day in the Official State Gazette (BOE).[3] The previous local elections were held on 13 June 1999, setting the date for election day on the fourth Sunday of May four years later, which was 25 May 2003.

Local assemblies could not be dissolved before the expiration of their term, except in cases of mismanagement that seriously harmed the public interest and implied a breach of constitutional obligations, in which case the Council of Ministers could—optionally—decide to call a by-election.[4]

Elections to the assemblies of local entities were officially called on 1 April 2003 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the BOE, setting election day for 25 May.[5]

Electoral system

Voting for local assemblies was based on universal suffrage, comprising all Spanish nationals over 18 years of age, registered and residing in the municipality and with full political rights (provided that they had not been deprived of the right to vote by a final sentence, nor were legally incapacitated), as well as resident non-national European citizens, and those whose country of origin allowed reciprocal voting by virtue of a treaty.[6]

Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and closed-list proportional voting, with a five percent-threshold of valid votes (including blank ballots) in each municipality.[7] Each municipality was a multi-member constituency, with a number of seats based on the following scale:[8]

Population Councillors
<250 5
251–1,000 7
1,001–2,000 9
2,001–5,000 11
5,001–10,000 13
10,001–20,000 17
20,001–50,000 21
50,001–100,000 25
>100,001 +1 per each 100,000 inhabitants or fraction
+1 if total is an even number

The law did not provide for by-elections to fill vacant seats; instead, any vacancies arising after the proclamation of candidates and during the legislative term were filled by the next candidates on the party lists or, when required, by designated substitutes.[9]

Parties and candidates

The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, alliances and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form an alliance were required to inform the relevant electoral commission within 10 days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list. In the case of Zaragoza, as its population was between 300,001 and 1,000,000, at least 5,000 signatures were required.[10]

Below is a list of the main parties and alliances which contested the election:

Candidacy Parties and
alliances		 Leading candidate Ideology Previous result Gov. Ref.
Vote % Seats
PP
List
 José Atarés Conservatism
Christian democracy		 42.3% 15 Yes [11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
PSOE Juan Alberto Belloch Social democracy 29.8% 10 No [15]
[16]
[17]
CHA
List
 Antonio Gaspar Aragonese nationalism
Eco-socialism		 13.6% 4 No [18]
PAR
List
 Manuel Lorenzo Blasco Regionalism
Centrism		 7.7% 2 No [19]
IU Jesús Lacasa Socialism
Communism		 4.4% 0 No

Opinion polls

The tables below list opinion polling results in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a poll.

Voting intention estimates

The table below lists weighted voting intention estimates. Refusals are generally excluded from the party vote percentages, while question wording and the treatment of "don't know" responses and those not intending to vote may vary between polling organisations. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 16 seats were required for an absolute majority in the City Council of Zaragoza.

Color key:

  Exit poll

Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Results

← Summary of the 25 May 2003 City Council of Zaragoza election results →
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 114,95233.90+4.12 12+2
People's Party (PP) 110,74732.66−9.64 11−4
Aragonese Union (CHA) 62,21118.34+4.77 6+2
Aragonese Party (PAR) 23,6906.99−0.75 2±0
United Left of Aragon (IU) 13,4743.97−0.38 0±0
The Greens–SOS Nature (LV–SOS) 2,4130.71New 0±0
Aragonese Initiative (INAR) 1,1100.33New 0±0
Family and Life Party (PFyV) 7480.22New 0±0
Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) 6360.19New 0±0
Republican Left (IR) 3560.10New 0±0
Humanist Party (PH) 2250.07−0.18 0±0
Blank ballots 8,5602.52+0.51
Total 339,122 31±0
Valid votes 339,12299.44−0.06
Invalid votes 1,9170.56+0.06
Votes cast / turnout 341,03966.19+7.73
Abstentions 174,19333.81−7.73
Registered voters 515,232
Sources[20][21][22]
Popular vote
PSOE
 
 33.90%
PP
 
 32.66%
CHA
 
 18.34%
PAR
 
 6.99%
IU
 
 3.97%
Others
 
 1.62%
Blank ballots
 
 2.52%
Seats
PSOE
 
 38.71%
PP
 
 35.48%
CHA
 
 19.35%
PAR
 
 6.45%

Aftermath

Government formation

Investiture
Ballot → 14 June 2003
Required majority → 16 out of 31
14 / 31
 check
  • • PP (11)
11 / 31
 X mark
Antonio Gaspar (CHA)
6 / 31
 X mark
Abstentions/Blank ballots
0 / 31
Absentees
0 / 31
Sources[23][24]

Notes

  1. ↑ Does not include non-resident citizens.

References

Opinion poll sources

  1. ↑ "El sondeo de Sigma Dos determina una lucha codo a codo entre populares y socialistas en Madrid". ABC (in Spanish). 25 May 2003. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "El PP retiene la mayoría en Madrid, Valencia, Málaga y Valladolid, pero pierde Zaragoza". ABC (in Spanish). 25 May 2003.
  3. ↑ "Sondeo a pie de urna de Ipsos Eco Consulting para TVE". ABC (in Spanish). 25 May 2003. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Belloch deberá pactar con Chunta para gobernar con mayoría absoluta". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). 17 May 2003.
  5. ↑ "El PSOE logrará la alcaldía de Zaragoza si le apoya la Chunta". El País (in Spanish). 18 May 2003.
  6. ↑ "El PP sería la fuerza más votada en Zaragoza". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). 19 May 2003.
  7. ↑ "PP y PSOE rozan la mayoría absoluta en Bilbao, única capital vasca gobernada por el PNV". Libertad Digital (in Spanish). 19 May 2003.
  8. 1 2 "Preelectoral elecciones autonómicas, 2003. CA de Aragón (Estudio nº 2484. Marzo-Abril 2003)". CIS (in Spanish). 17 May 2003.
  9. ↑ "La guerra pasa factura electoral al PP". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 18 May 2003.
  10. 1 2 "Belloch domina, Atarés cae, el PAR recupera y CHA sigue fuerte". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). 26 April 2003.

Other

  1. ↑ Constitution (1978), art. 140; LBRL (1985), art. 19.
  2. ↑ LBRL (1985), art. 19; LOREG (1985), art. 196.
  3. ↑ LOREG (1985), arts. 42 & 194.
  4. ↑ LBRL (1985), art. 61.
  5. ↑ Royal Decree 374/2003 (2003), art. 1.
  6. ↑ Constitution (1978), art. 13; LBRL (1985), art. 19; LOREG (1985), arts. 2–3 & 176.
  7. ↑ LOREG (1985), arts. 163 & 180.
  8. ↑ LOREG (1985), art. 179.
  9. ↑ LOREG (1985), arts. 46, 48 & 182.
  10. ↑ LOREG (1985), arts. 44 & 187.
  11. ↑ Montserrat, Concha (1 April 2000). "El PP aragonés propondrá a Atarés para suceder a Rudi en Zaragoza". El País (in Spanish). Zaragoza. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  12. ↑ "El PP designa a Atarés como sustituto de Rudi en la alcaldía de Zaragoza". El País (in Spanish). Zaragoza. 5 April 2000. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  13. ↑ "Atarés, elegido nuevo alcalde de Zaragoza". El Mundo (in Spanish). Zaragoza. EFE. 8 April 2000. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  14. ↑ "El PP se prepara para diseñar todo su banquillo electoral". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). 14 December 2002. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  15. ↑ Díez, Anabel; Casqueiro, Javier (11 February 2002). "El PSOE cambiará a ocho candidatos para las elecciones autonómicas". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  16. ↑ Montserrat, Concha (23 April 2002). "El rival de Belloch renuncia a las primarias para la alcaldía de Zaragoza". El País (in Spanish). Zaragoza. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  17. ↑ Notario, Pilar (10 July 2002). "El PSOE arropa a Belloch". Aragón Digital (in Spanish). Zaragoza. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  18. ↑ "Chunta se postula como opción decisiva de gobierno". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). 24 October 2002. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  19. ↑ Guillén, Nieves (28 December 2002). "Atarés y Belloch asisten a la proclamación de Blasco". Aragón Digital (in Spanish). Zaragoza. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  20. ↑ Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones municipales en Zaragoza (desde 1979)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  21. ↑ "Elecciones celebradas. Resultados electorales" (in Spanish). Ministry of the Interior. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  22. ↑ "Acuerdo de 20 de junio de 2003, de la Junta Electoral Central, por el que se procede a la publicación del resumen de los resultados de las elecciones locales convocadas por Real Decreto 374/2003, de 31 de marzo, y celebradas el 25 de mayo, según los datos que figuran en las actas de proclamación remitidas por cada una de las Juntas Electorales de Zona" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish) (158 (Supplement)): 1–700. 3 July 2003. ISSN 0212-033X. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  23. ↑ Montserrat, Concha (13 June 2003). "Belloch gobernará Zaragoza con la Chunta y dejando fuera al Par". El País (in Spanish). Zaragoza. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  24. ↑ "Belloch toma la vara de mando en minoría y no descarta pactar con CHA". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). 15 June 2003. Retrieved 30 November 2025.

Bibliography

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